Naval Actions and losses 1942

FAR EAST

1942
Admiralty S class destroyer HMS Thracian beached at HongKong but used by the Japanese.

January 6, 1942
Japanese destroyer sunk off Davao and a battleship damaged.

21 January
Light cruiser Boise damaged when she hit a rock.

23 January
Japanese transport Nana Maru sunk by plane.

January 24, 1942
Japanese submarine I173 sunk by the submarine USS Gudgeon(Lt Cdr Elton. Grenfell).

Battle of Balikpapan 23-24 January
3 Japanese transports(Sumanoura Maru, Tatsukami Maru, Kuretake Maru) and 1 patrol vessel(PC 37) destroyed by the US destroyers Ford, Pope, Parrott and Paul Jones

January 27/28, 1942
Admiralty S class destroyer HMS Thanet sunk by the Japanese off the east coast of Malaya.

January 30, 1942
Cruiser USS Chicago sunk off Guadalcanal by torpedo planes.

February
Boom defence vessels Dowgate and Ludgate destroyed Singapore.

Allied losses February-April 1942

Battle of Makassar Strait February 4, 1942
Heavy cruiser USS Houston damaged.
Light cruiser USS Marblehead badly damged, but limped back to Tjilatjap then eventually back to the US.

14th February 1942
RNN Van Ghent struck a reef and sank.

15th February 1942
RNN Van Nes bombed.

Battle of Lombok strait 18-19 February 1942

Battle of Badung Strait 19th-20th February 1942
RNN Piet Hein torpedoed and the cruiser Tromp damaged in a failed attack against Japanese transports and their two escorting destroyers.

19 Feb 1942
Destroyer Peary sunk at Darwin by Japanese planes.
11 ships sunk during the Darwin raid.
Between 19 feb and 5 march 12 ships sunk and 6 damaged at sea by Japanese attacks.

Other vessels bombed in February included the Submarine K1 sunk in port and the old Battleship Soerrabaia.
The Saint class tug HMS St Just sunk near Singapore by Japanese aircraft 14/2/42.

March 1, 1942
Cebu shelled by Japanese warships

Battle of Sunda Strait March 1, 1942

March 2, 1942
Admiralty S class destroyer HMS Stronghold sunk by a Japanese Task Force off the east coast of Malaya.
Dutch submarine KXIII scuttled.

March 3, 1942
American planes sunk 3 transports and 2 launches in Subic bay.

Other Japanese losses from January to March 1942
2 transports with 1st Special Naval Landing Force sunk by B-17s.
Minesweeper No.13 and No.14 sunk.
Transport Jukka Maru.

March 5 , 1942
20 ships sunk Tjilitjap harbor.
US destroyer sunk

Ceylon and the Bay of Bengal March-April 1942
23 merchantmen sunk by Ozawa's force
5 merchantmen lost to Japanese submarines.
5/6 April 11 ships sunk +2 damaged

April 5, 1942
Admiralty S class destroyer HMS Tenedos sunk after Japanese aircraft attack on Colombo Roads.
Sunk in the same raid an armed merchant cruiser.
London class heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire sunk by carrier based planes of Admiral Nagumo's strike force.
Kent class heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall sunk by the same carrier based planes.
One merchantman sunk in Trincomalee air raid.

April 9, 1942
HMAS Vampire sunk by Japanese planes off the coast of Ceylon

April 10, 1942
HMS Hermes (CVL) sunk by Japanese planes off the coast of Ceylon
Destroyer
Corvette Hollyhock sunk by Japanese planes off the coast of Ceylon

2 other ships also caught

Battle of the Coral Sea May 4,7-8, 1942
Main Japanese Forces
Task force MO comprised 11 transports escorted by destroyers
Main covering group under Rear-Admiral Aritome Goto. Light carrier Shoho, four heavy cruisers, and a destroyer.
Striking force under Vice-Admiral Takagi including the carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku
Main US and allied Forces
Task Force 17 under Rear-Admiral Frank Fletcher based around the carrier Yorktown
Task Force 11 under Rear-Admiral Aubrey Fitch based around the carrier Lexington
Task Force 44 under Rear-Admiral J Crace with the two Cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart

Japanese destroyer Kikuzuki sunk Halavo Bayon 4 May.
Japanese lossess also included a cruiser and the light carrier Shoho. The carrier Shokaku sufferred serious damage on the 8 May.

Madagascar May 5, 1942
Flower class corvette HMS Auricula lost to mining foundered 6/5.42.
Vichy Sloop Bougainville sunk.
Vichy submarine Beveziers sunk
Vichy submarine Le Hero sunk by Corvette HMS Genista
Vichy Sloop D'Entrecasteaux beached
A third Vichy submarine was sunk by the destroyers HMS Panther and HMS Active,

Two American ships were sunk on the 7th by planes from the Japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku. US losses included the carrier Lexington damaged by torpedo in Japanese air attacks on the 8th and eventually sunk by an American destroyer.

May 11, 1942
The Japanese destroyer Okinoshima sunk by S-42.

Total Japanese losses at the Battle of the Coral Sea a minelayer, a destroyer, 2 special minesweepers, and the light carrier.

May 1942 Diego Suarez landing
British landings on Madagascar covered by planes from HMS Indomitable and HMS Illustrious under Rear Admiral Syfret.

Diego Suarez, Madagascar, May 29/30, 1942
Battleship HMS Ramilies torpedoed and badly damaged by small Japanese submarines launched from I10, I16 and I20.

June 3, 1942
Carriers Ryujo and Junyo part of a force under Vice Admiral Hosogaya that attacked Dutch harbour in the Aleutions.

Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942
An inconclusive early start.
Japanese carriers Kaga, Agagi and Soryu were sunk by American divebombers after a failed run by American torpedo bombers. Akagi finished off by Japanese torpedoes on th 5th
Japanese carrier Hiryu sunk

American Task Force 16 under Rear Admiral Spruance with USS Enterprise and Hornet.
American Task Force 17 under Rear Admiral Fletcher with USS Yorktown. Yorktown was the major American casualty of the Battle of Midway.

June 6, 1942
Yorktown torpedoed and sunk by I168 while under tow. A destroyer was also sunk by I168.
Japanese cruiser Mikuma sunk by planes from Enterprise and Hornet.
Japanese cruiser Mogami put out of action for 2 years by planes from Enterprise and Hornet.

July 24, 1942
The following ships were striken from the navy list
USS Camia lost Cavite, Luzon.
USS Dapdap lost Luzon.
USS Magdalena lost Luzon.
USS Rivera lost Luzon.
USS Rosal lost Luzon.
USS San Felipe lost Luzon.
USS Santa Rita lost Luzon.
USS Yacal lost Luzon.
YF-86 lost Philippines.
YF-177 lost Philippines.
YF-178 lost Philippines.
YF-179 lost Philippines.
YF-180 lost Philippines.
YF-181 lost Philippines.
YF-212 lost Philippines
YF-223 lost Philippines.
YF-224 lost Philippines.
YF-230 lost Philippines.

August 5, 1942
Brazil Maru sunk off Truk by USS Greenling (SS-213)

August 7, 1942
1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Battle of Savo Island, August 8-9 1942
A six strong split American Australian cruiser force covering the landings was virtually destroyed. The cruisers Quincy, Vincennes, Astoria and HMAS Canberra were sunk and the Chigaco lost her bow. HMAS Australia was the only cruiser which did not suffer major damage.

August 9, 1942
USS Jarvis(DD-393) sunk off Guadalcanal by Japanese aircraft.
Japanese cruiser Kako sunk off Rabul by US submarine S.44

August 20, 1942
Planes from the carrier USS Long Island landed at Henderson field which had been prepared by the US marines landed on Guadacanal on 7 August.

August 22 1942
Bagley class destroyer USS Blue(DD-386) damaged irreperably off Guadalcanal by Japanese destroyer Kawakaze. Scuttled Iron bottom sound on the 23rd.

Battle Eastern Solomons, August 23-25, 1942
A US naval air strike on the 23rd failed to make contact as once detected the Japanese force reversed course. A successful air strike was made against the Japanese carrier Ryojo on the 24th, and in another attack the light cruiser Chitose was badly damaged. Japanese planes bombed, but did not sink the carrier Enterprise. On the 25th three ships of Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka's convoy were sunk and the rest forced to turn back.

August 28, 1942
U-94 depth charged south of Haiti by corvette HMCS Oakville and USN aircraft.

August 31 1942
The carrier USS Saratoga torpedoed and put out of action by Japanese submarine I26.

September 15, 1942
I16/I19 torpedoed the carrier Wasp, the battleship North Carolina and the destroyer O'Brien. The latter two ships six miles distant were part of the Hornet's screen and the Americans therefore believed that more than one submarine was active in the area. Wasp was abandoned, O'Brien who had lost her bow later broke in two and sunk on her way for repairs and North Carolina made her way to Pearl with a large gash in her port side.

September 9, 1942
HMAS Voyager  beached after Japanese attack Tumor island.

Battle of Cape Esperance, October 11-12 1942
An innitially confused night battle in which American destroyer Duncan was sunk by a mixture of Japanese and American shells and the American destroyer Farenbolt was also damaged by American gunfire. A Japanese destroyer Fubuki was destroyed by shellfire from the heavy cruiser San Francisco. The Japanese heavy cruiser Aoba with Rear Admiral Goto Aritomo on the bridge was also destroyed by gunfire. The light cruiser USS Boise caught fire and retired.

October 12, 1942
Two Japanese destroyers that had been guarding the transports of the force that fought off Cape Esperance were sunk by aircraft.

October 14-15, 1942
Japanese battleships Kongo and Haruna under Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo shelled Henderson airfield destroying 40 plus planes on the ground. Two cruisers joined the shelling force and Japanese bombers and artillery also struck the airfield.

October 18, 1942
Vice Admiral Halsey took over as new commander of the allied fleets at sea.

The US carriers were under Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid whose opposite number was fleet commander Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo whose carrier force was under Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo.

First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13, 1942

The Light antiaircraft cruiser Atlanta was damaged first by gunfire then terminally by torpedo before finally being subjected to fire from USS San Francisco. The USS Cushing fired on the Hiei and was sunk, USS Laffey met the same fate and only slight damage was done to Hiei in return.
San Francisco came under fire from the battleship Kirishima and several other ships. The USS Heavy cruiser Portland was hit by torpedo and left sailing in circles and the light cruiser Helena took light damage. The second antiaircraft cruiser Juneau was torpedod and drifted while slowly sinking, she was finished off by I26 during the day.
The destroyers Barton and Monssen were both hit with Barton going down quickly and Monssen abandoned.
The total losses for the US navy were two light cruisers and four destroyers with all but one of the survivors damaged.
Mahan class destroyer USS Cushing(DD-376) sunk by gunfire.
Two Japanese destroyers were sunk and Hiei was left battered, the next day she was bombed till dead in the water, eventually sinking off Savo island.
The IJN destroyer Akatsuki from Rear Admiral S.Kimura's Desron 10 sunk 12-13 November 1942
The destroyer Yudachi from Rear Admiral T.Takama's sweeping unit sunk and the Ayanami from Rear Admiral S.Hashimoto's sweeping unit sunk.
The submarine I172 sunk

Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 14, 1942
Japanese Heavy cruiser Kinugasa sunk by planes from Guadacanal.
Seven Japanese troopships destroyed by land and sea based aircraft.
USS Benham(DD-397) USS Walke(DD-416), USS Preston(DD-379) all sunk USS Gwin(DD-433) damaged. Mahan class destroyer Preston sunk by the cruiser Nagara.
Two US escorts sunk one light damaged and a fatal damage in a skirmish with Japanese destroyers covering a main force of a battleship, two heavy and two light cruisers as well as 9 destroyers. Only one Japanese destroyer was damaged in return.
The main naval battle was between the US battleships Washington and South Dakota against the Kirishima and the heavy cruisers Atago and Takao. South Dakota was damaged and retired to refit, but Washington put Kirishima out of action and she sank on 15th November. A Japanese destroyer was also lost, but the landings the force was covering were still made.
The Japanese lost all the transports involved in the Guadacanal landings(Arizona Maru, Kumagawa Maru, Sado Maru, Nagara maru, Nako Maru, Canberra Maru, Brisbane Maru, Kinugawa Maru, Hirokawa Maru, Yamaura maru and the Yamatsuki Maru).

Battle of Tassafaronga, November 30, 1942
Six Japanese destroyer transports and an escort of two destroyers headed for Guadalcanal. They were intercepted by a mixed cruiser destroyer force under Rear Admiral Carleton Wright. This force numbered six destroyers, one light and four heavy cruisers.
The lead Japanese destroyer Takanami was taken out with shellfire. In retun the Japanese fired their torpedoes which wrecked havoc among the American cruisers. The Minneapolis was hit almost severing her bow, and the New Orleans lost her bow to an ammnition explosion triggered after the torpedo hit. A third cruiser Pensacola was also hit and crippled and the fifth cruiser in line the USS Northampton had her fuel tanks ruptured turning her into a giant torch. On the American side only the Northampton was lost, but the inferior Japanese force lost only a destroyer and was able to retire.

In the Guadacanal naval campaign of 1942 the allies lost two carriers, seven cruisers, and eight destroyers. The Japanese lost a carrier, two battleships, a cruiser and six destroyers. The Japanese lost many experienced aircrew and both sides had many ships that were badly damaged.

Grimsby class escorts RIN Indus and RAN Yarra sunk by aircraft.

HMS Thracian beachedat Hong Kong taken and used by the Japanese.

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